ALBANY – Legislation that would have the state pick up the cost
of indigent legal services currently paid for by each county was vetoed
by Governor Cuomo. The bill was supported by county officials across the
Mid-Hudson Valley, who maintain for them to pay for the required service
is another unfunded mandate.
On the last day of the year, when everyone was gearing up to usher in
2017, the governor vetoed the bill, which had been approved by the state
legislature in a bipartisan effort.
State Senator George Amedore (R-Guilderland) criticized Cuomo for his
action. “Unfortunately, the governor missed this opportunity to
help not only our cash-strapped counties provide critical legal services
to those who need it, but just as importantly, he missed the opportunity
to provide crucial property tax relief to homeowners who are struggling
with too-high property taxes.”
The New York State Bar Association is “disappointed” by the
governor’s veto, said association President Claire Gutekunst. “The
State Bar Association’s priority continues to be enactment of a
law to ensure that New York’s public criminal defense system provides
meaningful legal representation to all indigent criminal defendants in
New York, in accordance with the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling in
Gideon v. Wainwright (1963). We hope to work with the governor and legislature
to accomplish that goal early in the new year.”
